March 23 - 16.7 / 84.2 miles

I thought I enjoyed hiking in the snow. But I found outr today there is a huge difference between hiking while snowing and hiking in inches of snow.

The morning began with a hitch in the back of Caveman's truck the 11 miles back to the trail head. His wife came into Hiawassee last night so he was only going to put in 4 miles this afternoon. The morning was fairly decent except for the cold weather. We made it 4.5 miles to Plumorchard Gap in really good time. This is when we met the first "strange" guy our entire trip. From the trail leading to the shelter at the gap came this guy with his pack on his back, what appeared to be a longsleeve cotton shirt (you don't wear cotton hiking!), and he was holding his sleeping bag. As he got closer we noticed he had some marks on his cheeks. I thought he had been in a fight or something. But I some noticed it was either stamps, sharpie, or some crazy tattoo. We asked how he was doing and all he said was "cold" and kept walking. More of him later.

At 8.9 miles we finally made it to the GA/NC state line and the Nantahala National Forest. The miles were slower since Plumorchard due to the snow that had fallen the night before. The state line was just a sign on a tree, but we knew a famous tree was close by. We continued to hike the next tenth of a mile to Bly Gap but the snow on the ground seemed to get worse. At Bly we saw the most photographed tree on the trail. It is a really old oak that is right in the middle of the trail but is oddly shaped. We took pics and continued on. We went the next mile or so over Sharp Top and Courthouse Bald. Both of these seemed to be straight up. Plus the ground was covered in snow/ice about 3 or 4 inches thick. A cloud was coming through so you really couldn't see. Every step forward was almost a half step back. It was miserable and very slow going.

After a while we made it to Muskrat Creek Shelter. This put us at 11.8 for the day, and we had all intentions on staying there. However the shelter was very full with people who had stayed at Bly Gap the night before. They couldn't make more than 2 or 3 miles for the day since they were so cold. One gut told us it was down in the 20's. With the wind chill, I would be willing to bet it was 0 degrees or colder. We had lunch at the shelter,b but before we could leave, the guy I mentioned above showed up. None of remember passing him so we have no idea how he got behind us. He was into the full shelter and just begins to unpack his stuff. All 20 or so people just kept watching him not knowing what he was going to do next. He roamed around, had a pb and j, the repacked his stuff (still with his sleeping bag in his arms). Then all of a sudden he just took off running down the trail. None of us knew what to make of it. THEN...about a mile or so later we come around a bend and he is just sitting in the woods staring. I didn't see him at first, but will did and spoke up. Will asked where he was staying for the night. He looked at us with almost no emotion and said "the mountain." We just said alright and kept moving. It was a freaky encounter. We made sure the last one back did not hike alone.

The end of our journey brought us almost 16.7 miles and just downhill from Standing Indian shelter. We found a camp area and just set up there. We found out during dinner that the shelter was not full and that if we had kept hiking the we probably would have been able to get all of us in the shelter. Oh well, I kind of like having my own space in my tent. Mike, a guy originally from the Ukraine and who we had met back at Neels Gap is with us also.

Tomorrow we have some options on how far we are going to go. It is either going to be 11, 14, or 19 miles. If we feel good then we are going to do the 19 which will leave us only 3 or so to Franklin. There we will resupply, meet up with a former co-worker of mine who is joining us until the NOC, and getting Will's friend Jimmy back to his car near Helen. We'll see if that happens. Today was our longest day yet, and I am felling it. The pain from my knees of going downhill has now moved to my shins. I hope I am not getting shin splints. My last few miles were very rough and I could not put all the weight on my right leg. I also got my first blister. It is on my right pinkie toe. I'll wrap it in tape tomorrow and keep putting Hydropel (anti-blister ointment) on it.

Thanks for all the comments and prayers. To comment back on a few...Richie, a BIFF is a bathroom in forest floor and yes, Sleepy Pizza is a wimp. Colby, it is 2010, but going to towns for a resupply and sleeping in a 1 star motel/inn is not glamorous. I'd rather be in my tent. It is must cleaner.

Before I sign off after a long post, don't forget to pledge money to a children's charity. A penny a mile is only 20 dollars once I complete the whole trail. Thanks to those who have already pledged. I will get the actual money raise based on the number of miles I have hiked updated as soon as possible.

Night...Bowtie